Living For Tomorrow
by SeraphBlade108
Summary: On a cart making it's way down a simple country road, there is time for reflection. "Geass is the power of kings, it will isolate you… well, I guess that's a little wrong… eh, Lelouch"? A peek into Lelouch's life after Zero.


A/N: Well, I'm been on an anime binge lately and I stumbled upon Code Geass. I loved it but i'm a person that needs closure so I wrote this. But, don't get me wrong the ending was good in a bittersweet way.

"_Geass is the power of kings, it will isolate you… well, I guess that's a little wrong… eh, Lelouch"?_

The man sitting at the head of the carriage merely adjusted the brim of his hat and ran the back of his hand against his sweaty forehead.

C.C. agilely flipped herself onto her feet and joined the man at the front of the carriage. She gazed out upon the simple rural scenery, plain yet strangely satisfying. She was not aware of how much she stuck out, she never did.

The ride continued in silence until the carriage ground to a halt, outside of a quaint little country cottage painted a cream white with a rosy red door. The man next to her handed her the reins unceremoniously as he jumped off to deliver the bales of hay.

C.C. watched as he made his delivery and returned to the cart, which rambled onwards. As they went deeper into the rural countryside, the driver removed his hat. Sharp, satisfied eyes glanced around, and then appeased, turned towards his companion. He watched her for a few moments as she admired the peaceful scene and adjusted the coarse cloth that covered his face. She turned back, amber eyes met clear amethyst.

"No regrets?"

The question in itself was simple, the answer was not.

Lelouch Lamperouge was himself, a complicated person. He had grand ambitions, deep love, and great sorrow. He had been through much in his young life and that was putting it lightly. It was unfair to himself to say that he had no regrets. He had left behind much of his life.

_Euphie, Suzaku, Shirley, Rollo, Nunnally, Kallen…_

Sometimes he thought that things could have turned out differently. But, the stark truth was that, given the chance, Lelouch would have probably done the same thing over again, with a few exceptions. Primarily regarding those he left in his past. Yes, he dreamt about his friends and family now and again, but the longing was rare and fleeting. He had given too much, far too much, to let his personal attachments ruin everything. So, he had decided to live on.

What he learned was that Zero, Lelouch Lamperouge, and Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, were facades and that he had yet to truly discover who he was and what it was to live for himself. So he imposed upon himself a self-exile to allow himself a fresh start and also to punish himself. He was many things, a brother, a friend, a son, a prince, a villain…but he was no fool. He was well aware that he had to atone for his sins, so he freed the ones that had been hurt from their connection to him. Despite their differences, he and Suzaku were of one mind on this and thus Suzaku himself was punished. The young Japanese man was exiled as well, forever doomed to live as his greatest enemy and ironically, his greatest friend.

Sometimes the burdens of his sins weighed so heavily on him, he felt he could never redeem himself, but then again, he had an eternity to figure things out.

Yes, mastering the geass had been a great feat and Lelouch was endlessly amused by the fact that his delusional father was the one to grant him this boon. The mark of the geass lay upon his collar, a reminder of all he had done. Suzaku did not know of this, Lelouch had decided to spare Suzaku the knowledge so that he could truly sever his ties with his old friend.

At the end of it all, he, well more accurately Zero, managed to save the day and made Japan a better place despite everything that had happened. He accomplished all he had aimed for.

He smiled wistfully. Nunnally will be a good leader, better than he or their father could ever be. He knew he would miss her the most and yet he was happy that he lived long enough to see her eyes, so full of strength and conviction. Through her, Euphie would live on.

Then, there was Kallen. Though he was mature for his age, he was at a loss when it came to his feelings for Kallen. He loved her but he wasn't _in_ love with her. In a way they were similar even to the very end; they were both so very devoted to a singular cause that sacrifice seemed insignificant. Yet, in the end she proved to be better than he was and he was glad of it.

He breathed in the fresh country air and was reminded of his wound. He remembered how it felt to be impaled on his own sword by his most beloved friend. He remembered thinking how fitting it all was that his actions came back to him in such a way and how terrible it must have been for Suzaku to go through with it. He remembered Nunnally's cries and how after everything, she still forgave him. It would have been better if he died simply as a villain but the geass had shown his sister the truth.

"_It doesn't make it alright, not any of it. I deserve this. Please understand…"_ He remembered thinking as Nunnally's wretched sobs tore at his heart.

But it was over now, all of it. Eventually people would forget about him. But he would go on never forgetting what he had done; he would live to see all those he loved pass away from this world. That was the curse of immortality, of the geass. But truly, he had no regrets. He would never be alone; C.C. would be his eternal companion. They had made a pact to never pass on the geass; it simply caused too much pain.

He smiled sincerely, "no regrets, not anymore".

The cart continued down the country road as the sun began to set.

_Everything is going to be different now, _he thought whimsically to himself.

"Could we get some pizza?" C.C. stated stoically as ever.

"..."

_Well maybe not_ _everything_.


End file.
